Develop
Case Study
FIFA Club World Cup 2009 – Pitch Development
The Challenge
FIFA tournaments need to have premium quality pitches as a platform for football played at the very highest levels. A close relationship was to be developed with the Local Organising Committees and stakeholders to enable the framework of improved guidance, specification and delivery to work. This could ultimately form the defining standards of pitch construction, management and delivery for FIFA tournaments, to suit the local environment and growing conditions.
The Approach
Working as an embedded partner within the Local Organising Committee in Abu Dhabi at the Zayed SportsCity Stadium Proleisure formulated a structured framework for Pitch Development.
This included bringing together the following elements:
- Strategy - assessment and planning documents
- Construction
- Maintenance - scheduling and analysis
- Equipment
- Measurement
- Contingency Planning and Risk Management
- Technical input from Agronomists from varied environments
- Stakeholder management and communication
The Outcomes
A major success in the delivery of this eighteen month project, in just eight months, was down to the stakeholder collaboration, communication and management of the project. Once the strategy and budget was established construction began on the nine pitches. As the project progressed the pitch development and growth were constantly measured and monitored to ensure delivery for the tournament in Dec 2009 - even with a flood mid tournament!
Conclusion
The pitches were ready and were commended by FIFA and the referee’s during their use. These pitches were developed using the skills and talents of people locally alongside the professional specialism within Proleisure and has left a legacy of skills development within the UAE.
